Double Decoy
by Caroline
Summary: [NSR] After the first Strip Strangler decoy operation fails, Sara offers to avail herself a second time, much to Nick's dismay. Rated 'R' for violent situations. --COMPLETE!--
1. Another Try

DOUBLE DECOY

Chapter 1: Another Try  
Spoilers: "Strip Strangler" (122)  
A/N: Rated 'R' for language, violence, and adult situations.  
Summary: After the first decoy experiment fails, Sara avails herself for a second time.

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Sara stalked back to the car with a scowl firmly set on her face, being escorted out by Grissom, his hand feather-lightly touching her back as he glanced over his shoulder, to the alleged suspect the Feds were currently reprimanding. They'd been so close. They'd found who they thought to be the Strip Strangler, but came up empty. Now there was a fourth murder to attend to at the Monaco casino.

Grissom grasped her elbow gently, his voice soft... soothing. "You stay here," he told her, "And ride back to the lab with the Feds. I'm going to meet up with Catherine at the Monaco."  
  
"Fine," she grumbled, leaning against the FBI's special stake-out van. Her gaze fell to her shoes, until his voice brought her head back up.

"Sara..."

She met his eyes, noting his now seemed a little bit more... harsh? Stern, almost. He gestured with his hands, like a baseball usher indicating 'safe.' "Just let it go..." he told her.

She shook her head lightly, her shoulder-length brunette strands shining under the parking lot's lights. "You know I can't," she murmured, narrowing her eyes slightly at her supervisor. Almost a year they'd been working together, and he still didn't understand how passionate she was about her cases.

The pair just exchanged a glance, before Grissom turned, shook his head just barely, and headed for the Tahoe; his head cocked slightly as he clenched and unclenched his fists. Sara watched him go and sighed, then slowly turned at the sound of another voice... "Sidle."

Special Agent Rick Culpepper stepped up to her, and she straightened her posture, holding her head up. "Yes?"

"We apologize that our operation was unsuccessful, but with your permission, we'd like to try again, at a different location." His sky blue eyes searched hers, looking for any resistance or reluctance.

Tearing her eyes briefly from his, Sara turned over her shoulder to glance at the empty spot where Grissom's Tahoe had just been. He would be so upset with her if she agreed to do it again, and she knew that. She knew he would lecture her about putting herself in harm's way. But she also knew that by following Grissom's rules, more and more women would die. The murders would pile up, and he would still be trying to figure this guy out. She turned back to Culpepper with a confident smile on her face. "Sure. I'll do it."

Now I just gotta find a way to keep this from Grissom... she thought.

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When Grissom and Catherine had returned from the Monaco, Grissom headed off to interrogate the latest victim's husband. Sara stole this opportunity to pull Catherine aside. "I need to talk to you..." she muttered hastily, before grabbing the older woman's arm and practically dragging her to the break room.

Catherine wrenched her arm out of Sara's almost bruising grasp. "Easy there, Vice-Grip," she teased. When the young woman spun to face her, she searched her eyes. "What do you need?"

"I kind of agreed to something..." she began, "Something that I'm not so sure Grissom would be too pleased about."

"Sara, I already know you did that decoy thing for the Feds. I heard that didn't turn out all that great."

"It didn't," she sighed, "Which is why Culpepper asked if I would be willing to do it again."

Catherine cocked her head slightly, eyeing her warily. "You... didn't say yes, did you?"

Sara merely cringed, waiting for Catherine's reaction... and she got one quickly. Her aquamarine eyes widened, and she threw her arms up in the air. "Sara, what were you THINKING?! No shit Grissom's not gonna be too pleased!"  
  
"Catherine, lower your voice," she hissed through clenched teeth, watching as Nick began to wander toward the break room. "And just relax. I'm doing this because we need to catch this guy. And we aren't gonna catch him very quickly using Grissom's methods." She pointed at her sternly when she began to scoff. "You KNOW it's true."

"What's true?" Nick asked, his Southern drawl filling the break room. He leaned between the two women to grab an apple from the center of the table, nodding a greeting at each of them as he grinned. "Ladies..."

They both rolled their eyes at his antics, Sara cracking just a hint of a smile as she folded her arms across her chest. "We were just discussing the possible methods for catching the Strip Strangler."

Nick tore a chunk out of his apple. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his full mouth muffling his voice.

Sara flinched as tiny pieces of apple landed on her collarbone, and she glared at Nick as she wiped them away. "God, didn't your mother ever teach you manners?" she quipped, receiving a toothy, apple-infested grin in return.

Catherine sighed, not up for dealing with Nick and Sara's childish flirting methods at the moment... and she jumped right into it. "Sara's gonna act as a decoy AGAIN."

"AGAIN?!" Nick practically shrieked, chunks of apple now flying through the air with wild abandon as he continued to rant, "You already put yourself in danger once, but twice? Sara, are you CRAZY?!"  
  
Sara sighed, glaring disgustedly at him, and picked the pieces of apple from her hair before swiping at her face and neck area. "Okay, first of all, I'm not crazy. And second of all, if I get so much as ONE more piece of apple on me, you're gonna lose a valuable appendage!"

Nick glanced down at the apple in his hand, and, smiling sheepishly, placed it behind his back. He swallowed what was left in his mouth, before mumbling a quick apology. He sighed, setting his apple down on the table. "Sara, listen to me." He grasped her shoulders. "Okay, I really admire your dedication to your job and everything," he began, giving her a reassuring smile. With his next comment, however, the smile dropped. "But you're nuts. You're putting yourself in a position where you could get raped, or even worse... killed."

"I know, Nick," she reminded him, her hands reaching up to touch his elbows while his hands remained on her shoulders. "Believe me, I know." She shook her head. "I don't care."

"You don't care?!"

Catherine glanced down at her watch, sighing heavily. "Well kids, this has been entertaining, but it's about time I meet Grissom at that press conference." She headed for the door, calling a brief, "Later..." over her shoulder.

Nick and Sara took no notice. His sable eyes narrowed slightly, staring into hers. "How can you not care, Sara?" he asked softly. "You're telling me that you would be willing to die for the sake of a case?"

Her reply was immediate, and spoken with conviction. "Yes. In a heartbeat." She shook her head, gently pushing his hands from her shoulders back to his sides. "Nick, if you don't know by now how important these cases are to me, then..." she trailed off with a shrug, either not knowing how to finish her sentence, or not wanting to. She moved to brush past him, mumbling, "Wish me luck."

He reached out and grabbed hold of her hand, preventing her from leaving his sight. "Wait."

She spun silently to face him, squeezing his hand in response before threading her fingers through his. "What?"

"Sara," he whispered, "I know how dedicated you are to your job." He nodded emphatically. "Trust me, I know that. I believe in showing dedication to your job. But... to risk your life for it?" He shook his head, diverting his gaze to their clasped hands. His voice came out soft... deep. "I don't believe in that at all."

Her sable eyes met his as he glanced up, and for a moment they just stared sadly at one another. Sara slowly brought their clasped hands up, taking a step back as she disentangled their fingers, her tone mirroring his... "Then I guess that's the difference between us." She backed toward the door, never taking her eyes off his until he spun around, turning his back on her.

He placed his hands on his hips, glancing toward the ceiling as he blinked several times in succession, fighting to keep his emotions in check despite the sinking feeling he had that they were about to lose another CSI. He heard her voice when she'd reached the doorway. "Wish me luck, Nick."

He chuckled grimly, shaking his head as he whispered a defeated, "I can't." He then listened for the sounds of her walking out the door, and... quite possibly... walking out of their lives for good. He sighed. This would be Holly Gribbs all over again. Only this time, he mused, it would be ten million times worse. Not only had they all worked with Sara for a longer period of time than they'd worked with Holly, but... they'd actually all gotten to know her fairly well. Nick especially, it seemed. Out of everybody at CSI, he was most likely the one that knew her the best.

And he could admit to himself that he cared for Sara, deeply. The thought of her putting herself in danger to help out that asshole of a Fed, Culpepper, made his insides boil. Those damn decoy operations of his were going to do more harm than good. Sure, he agreed with Sara's view that Grissom's methods would take longer, but his methods were also safer. He had to face the obvious question... what if something went wrong? What if the Feds, despite all their high-tech gear and over-inflated egos, overlooked something very important? And something that could very well mean life or death for Sara Sidle.

"I gotta go with her," he muttered to himself, and he was out the door in a matter of seconds.

On the way out, he crashed into Grissom and Catherine, both of them holding their hands up and exclaiming a, "Whoa!" in unison. Grissom arched an eyebrow at his young CSI. "Off to the races, Nicky?"

"Did you guys see where Sara went?" he asked, his eyes flitting toward Catherine momentarily.

"No..." Grissom replied slowly, "Why?"

Nick held Catherine's gaze, and caught the minute shaking of her head, as if she was telling him not to say a word. He nodded once in understanding and turned to Grissom. "I just was looking for her... no reason."

"We haven't seen her, Nick," Catherine told him, and gave him a meaningful look while she squeezed Grissom's arm through his brown suede jacket. "Gil, let's go... we're gonna be late for that press conference thing."

After Grissom cocked his head and stared at Nick quizzically for a moment, he nodded and blindly followed the strawberry blond out to the parking lot. Nick sighed heavily, and glanced around the lab. Where the hell did she go?

----------------------------------------

"Sara!"

Startled at hearing her name being shouted, Sara's head snapped up, the daze she'd been in fading into the background. When she saw Nick jogging toward her, her breath caught in her throat, and she cast a nervous glance over her shoulder... glancing through the window in the back door of the Fed van, toward the large white building where the Strip Strangler press conference was being held. She'd rode with Culpepper in secret, being told to wait outside until the press conference was over. Although, she mused, if they were having a press conference about having caught the Strip Strangler, was there really any need to do another decoy operation?

"Sara..." Nick bent at the waist when he reached her, placing his hands on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath.

She made a face, patting his back as he stood. "Easy, Wheezy," she teased, smirking as he glared at her in return. She turned serious, though her smirk still threatened to burst forth... she searched his eyes, allowing her own to wander over every inch of his face... noting the creases in his forehead and around his eyes, and the tension in his jaw. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going with you," he whispered.

"Nick, there might not even be another decoy operation. Culpepper's pretty sure we've got the right guy in custody."

Nick shook his head. "No, we don't. Warrick told me what's going on with that guy. It's pretty certain that he killed his wife, but he was just copy-catting the Strip Strangler." He sighed. "So there WILL be another decoy op. And when there is, I'll be going with you."

"Nick... why?"

"Because, Sara, I just..." He struggled with himself, wondering what his reasons really were. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

She smiled at his sweet nature, squeezing his shoulder where it met his neck. "Nick, I appreciate your concern, but ya know what? I'm a big girl. I'm quite capable of handling whatever could come my way."

"But what if something goes wrong? What if... what if you DO find this guy, and he starts strangling you, and pouring that sodium amytal down your throat?" He shook his head. "I don't think any of your self-defense classes covered what to do in a situation like that."

She sighed, folding her arms across her chest. She hated it when he could win an argument. "You're right," she quietly admitted, "But... the Feds will be there with me! I'll have backup!"

"Pfff!" He scoffed at this, mirroring her stance as he folded his arms across his chest. "Culpepper?! You think I'd trust Culpepper with looking after you? I couldn't trust Culpepper any further than I could throw him!"

"Why does somebody have to 'look after' me?" she countered.

"Didn't we just cover this? Something could go seriously wrong, Sara. I'm going with you... and I'm not taking any more arguments from you." He held up a hand to stop her as she once more opened her mouth, and smirked. "Sara, I've got an apple in the truck..." he warned her, "Don't make me use it."

She smiled and nodded, holding her hands up in resignation. "Point taken." She sighed. "Fine, you can come with."

He nodded, grinning triumphantly at her... before his eyes drifted to the window of the open rear van door just over her shoulder. He nodded toward it. "Look, there's Grissom and Mobley."

"Shit!" she hissed, and jumped into the back of the van, grabbing Nick by a belt loop and hauling him inside with her. She toppled in on her back, and with a grunt, Nick landed on top of her, his hands splaying out on both sides of Sara's abdomen to catch himself.

"What the hell'd you do that for?" he whispered, his breathing heavy from the abruptness of her actions.

She wriggled a bit underneath him, her own breathing heavy from his weight pressing on her. "I didn't want Grissom to see us," she whispered shakily. "It would look suspicious."

"And this doesn't?" he questioned with an arched brow, indicating their current compromising position.

She laughed, meeting his eyes as he winced. "What?"

"My gun jabbed into my leg when I landed on you... it hurts."

She grinned. "Oh, that's what that was." She chuckled. "I thought you were just happy to see me."

He shot her a look, narrowing his eyes at her. "Cute."

She shot him a Cheshire grin, shrugging her shoulders impishly. "Hey, I try." She squirmed under him a bit more, pausing as she heard his forceful exhalation. "If it's so uncomfortable, Nick, just get up..." she whispered, bringing her eyes up to meet his.

His mouth dropped open part-way, as if he was about to say something. Upon catching the look sparkling in her sable eyes, though, he closed it momentarily, before trying again. "I'm going to," he stammered unconvincingly, and cast a glance over his shoulder slightly. "I just... wanna make sure Grissom's gone first, before I do."

"And how will laying on top of me help you figure out when Grissom's gone?" she asked softly, something different in her tone, but undetectable.

Nick met her eyes once more, his own sparkling back at her. He smirked just slightly. "Are you complaining about having a gorgeous guy on top of you?"

"Hardly," she replied quickly... then her cheeks flushed crimson at her Freudian slip. "I mean..."

A boyish, mischievous twinkle sprung to his eye. "See, now a comment like that makes me think you don't want me to get off you."

She glared, pushing her fists against his chest, struggling to throw him off of her. "Don't flatter yourself, Nick," she snipped.

He just laughed at her, grabbing her fists in his hands and prying them away, holding them against the coarse carpet of the van. "Yeah, yeah, yeah..."

When her wrists hit the carpet, she gasped... this action drawing Nick's questioning glance back to her face. She just stared, frozen, into his eyes... and he reciprocated the gesture. An awkward silence settled over the pair as they contemplated what to do next, if anything.

Then, before he could process what was happening, Nick found his lips on her neck... found her arching against him, wanting more. His tongue branded her... left a trail of moisture along one side of her neck, while she just gasped and let out soft, barely audible moans... encouraging him. "Sara..." he whispered shakily, his hands gliding down to her hips and giving them a squeeze.

Culpepper's booming voice, drawing closer and closer to the van, broke them apart, both hurriedly sitting up and fixing any clothes that rumpled during the commotion. Nick stood, taking Sara's hand to help her up, and the pair met each other's eyes before simultaneously blushing and looking away. It was at this moment that Culpepper stepped up to the back of the van, his hands clasped behind his back as he eyed Nick. "CSI Stokes... what are you doing here?"

Nick nodded toward his brunette companion. "I'm with Sara."

Before she could stop it, a broad grin had made its way across her face at Nick's comment; and when both men turned to look at her, she spun away, the back door of the van suddenly becoming very intriguing. Culpepper just eyed her quizzically for a moment before turning to Nick. "What do you mean, you're 'with' her?"

"Well, a CSI was killed in the line of duty nine months ago, and I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Culpepper let out a tense chuckle, his teeth clenching for moment. "Mr. Stokes, that's what we're here for."

"Nonetheless, I'll be riding with you."

"I want him here, Culpepper," Sara chimed in, spinning around after she'd made sure any evidence of her grin was gone.

Upon noticing the CSIs' stances brooked no argument, Culpepper sighed in resignation. "Fine, he can tag along. But he's not interfering with the operation." With that, the special agent spun on his heel and strode off toward the sheriff.

Nick glared at his back and shook his head, folding his arms across his chest. "Tag along? Tag this, buddy, I'm not Huck Finn."

Sara rolled her eyes, grabbing hold of his arm. "Nick..."

"What?"

A smirk slowly made its way across her lips, and she shook her head at him. "Shut up."

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TBC


	2. The Decoy Op

  
  
DOUBLE DECOY

Chapter 2: The Decoy-Op

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"Alright, Sidle," Culpepper instructed her, clipping a miniscule microphone on her tanktop just under her jacket, "This'll be just like the last time. You're just gonna go in and browse. We'll let you play for a bit, and see what we come up with."

She nodded once in understanding, and glanced to Nick, finding his eyes already cemented to her. She smiled teasingly, images from their brief encounter in the van floating through her mind. She held her arms up slightly, doing a little twirl for him. "Like my outfit?" 

Knowing he'd been caught staring, Nick rolled his eyes to cover his embarrassment, and nodded slowly. "Nice... very nice."

Another knowing grin emanated from Sara, followed by a light, teasing, "Thank you."

Culpepper rolled his eyes disgustedly at their banter, and sighed. "Alright Sidle, we're just about ready for you to head in..." He gave her a look while he nodded toward Nick. "Unless you wanted to pass him a note before we got started."

The two CSIs met each other's gaze, and, like earlier, a blush colored their cheeks and they looked away, Sara clearing her throat loudly before sputtering out a hasty, "Let's go." Then, tossing one last glance at Nick, she headed into the store.

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The store they'd chosen to scope out this time was a Borders bookstore, which, according to Culpepper, got a lot of foot traffic day-to-day. To him, that seemed the next logical place to look for their serial killer. Once inside, Sara took a first glance of the patrons, clusters of people milling about in every direction she looked. Some looked up to acknowledge her presence, and others didn't... and none looked suspicious.

Pursing her lips, she shifted her purse to her other hand and began casually strolling up and down the aisles of books, absent-mindedly skimming the titles while still trying to be alert. She saw everything from Tolstoy to Tolkien... and it wasn't until she reached the 'mystery' section that she saw him. Immediately she straightened her posture, a rush of adrenaline flooding her system.

She touched her fingertips to her ear lightly, and the ear-piece they'd clipped on her, and turned away for a moment, speaking softly so as not to arouse suspicion. "I think I got one," she murmured. "Five-eleven, dark hair, green eyes."

Culpepper, from his spot in the van outside, nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on the monitors set up, where they were catching everything the security camera was recording. "Don't approach him, Sidle. See if he comes to you."

Sara nodded her understanding minutely, though she was well aware he couldn't see the gesture, and continued pretending to browse the books. It didn't take long before she caught him moving closer in her peripheral vision.

Nick, his eyes glued to the monitor, gripped Culpepper's arm. "Hey..."

Culpepper jerked his arm out of his grasp, shooting him a look. "Don't get jealous, Stokes. Just let her play for a bit." He shook his head at the CSI. "This is a high-profile case. Had I known you and Sidle had some weird little 'puppy love' thing going on, I never would have allowed you to come with."

Nick glared at the FBI agent. "Sara and I are not--" But the voice coming through the speakers stopped his argument cold.

"Excuse me..." The dark-haired man stepped up to Sara, drawing her attention. "You wouldn't happen to live around here, would you?"

She chuckled slightly. "I beg your pardon?"

The man smiled, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I'm sorry, that probably sounded really creepy, I just..." He shrugged. "I-I'm looking for an apartment, and was just wondering if you knew of anyplace around here that might have an opening."

"I'm sorry, I guess I really don't pay much attention to that kind of stuff," she replied, putting on an apologetic smile.

"Oh... that's okay, don't worry about it. Just thought I'd ask."

She nodded in response and smiled at him... then began to grow wary as his eyes stayed on her, seemingly taking her in. His next words brought on an overwhelming sense of deja-vu... "You're cute."

She smiled nervously. "Thanks."

"Would you like to... head over to the coffee-shop with me? Maybe grab a cappuccino?"

"Oh! Thanks, but... I actually just got out of something really serious," she lied. "I'm really flattered, but I'm sorry... I'm gonna have to pass."

In the midst of Sara turning down the suspect's date offer, Nick's eyes wandered to another figure that had come on-screen, and he narrowed his eyes, leaning closer. Culpepper eyed him warily. "Something interesting you, Stokes?"

Nick tapped the monitor. "That guy over there, in the corner... he looks familiar." His eyes narrowed practically to two thin slats as he pondered where he'd seen him before. After a moment, it hit him. "Eileen Snow..."

This caught Culpepper's attention. "Huh?"

"That guy was a security guard at the apartment complex where Eileen Snow was killed, wasn't he? Syd-something?"

Culpepper shrugged. "How should I know?" He gestured to the screen. "Besides, it's not illegal for a security guard to visit a bookstore. There's nothing criminal there. I think the guy we're looking for is the one Sidle's talking to right now."

"I'm sorry," Sara apologized again.

The suspect held up his hands, as if gesturing that it was no big deal. "Hey, don't worry about it. I understand."

She nodded, smiling, as Culpepper's voice filled her ear-piece. "Walk away now, Sidle."

She threw a pseudo-wave in the suspect's direction. "I really should get going, but it was nice talking with you."

"Yeah..." He eyed her strangely, "You too."

Nick grabbed Culpepper's arm again as he watched the suspect continue to stare at Sara after she'd left the camera's view. "Culpepper..."

The special agent once again yanked his arm away. "I see him," he snapped. "Quit touching me."

Moments later, they watched as Sara emerged from the bookstore, and tossed a quick glance in their direction before heading for her Tahoe. Nick smiled, knowing nothing bad would've happened to her with all those people around, but still relieved to see that she was okay. When he looked toward the doors, however, his smile faded. "Culpepper..." he murmured once more, reaching for him.

Culpepper's head snapped up, following Nick's gaze. "Keep an eye on him," he instructed his men, and as Sara started the Tahoe and drove off, they remained in place, watching their suspect head to his own car, get in, and follow her. "Let's go," he whispered, and they rushed off.

Speaking toward his microphone, he said, "Okay Sidle, just to give you a heads-up... our suspect is following you. Don't panic, just continue toward your house... we're following right behind him."

When he received a response from Sara, he nodded, and turned back to face a very irate-looking Nick. "To her house?! You're gonna let this guy see where she lives?"

He held up a hand to calm him. "Just relax, Stokes, we've got it under control."

"Yeah... right," he muttered sarcastically, folding his arms across his chest in a purely childish fashion. "And she almost got mugged last time because....?"

Culpepper didn't respond in words... just with a sharp, menacing glare... before both men turned their attention back to the task at hand. When Sara had pulled into her driveway, they hung back a ways, keeping their eyes on the suspect's car. Nick's heart bumped into his throat as the suspect slowed to a crawl, inching past Sara's house and down the rest of her block, before turning out of sight.

"Alright," Culpepper muttered, nodding to his men. "Get the bugs and head inside."

"The bugs?" Nick repeated incredulously. "What do you need bugs for?"

"Not insects, Stokes. We're 'bugging' her house... just to be on the safe side. Then we're gonna stay out here tonight and keep an eye on things."

"Like a stakeout?"

He nodded, gesturing for his men to head inside. "Precisely." 

Nick, still not understanding just how a stakeout was going to keep Sara Sidle out of danger... just sighed and shook his head, praying for her safety.

-----------------------------

Sara hummed to herself as she got ready for bed, brushing her hair, and then her teeth, before slipping into one of her silky, summery nighties... perfect for the hot, muggy Vegas night that it was. Then, upon remembering her house was bugged... and that Nick and the Feds could hear her humming, she stopped, and flipped on the ceiling fan before turning out the lights and slipping into bed.

Nick smiled inside the van, noting the abruptness with which Sara's humming had ceased... then listened to the sounds of her climbing into bed... the ceiling fan humming its own tune in the background. He glanced at the darkened street... the street-lamps the only source of light on the unusually dark night... and kept his eyes peeled for their suspect's car. "Culpepper, it's been an hour," he murmured, breaking the silence, "And he hasn't come back. Hasn't even driven by again. Are you sure that was our guy?"

"Yes, Stokes, I'm sure," he replied monotonously. "He's probably waiting to come back. The coroner's reports for the last three victims placed their times of death around the same time... three a.m."

------

Glancing at his watch to make sure that he was on time, the figure quietly slipped through the open window at the back of the house, being careful not to make a sound. He'd seen them. He'd seen the Feds in their little gray van... and he knew what they were up to. He wasn't going to let them spoil his fun. He knew they'd bugged this one. They'd be listening for him... but he knew they wouldn't hear a thing.

He tip-toed down to the basement and headed for the circuit box, tripping the circuit breaker. No way would the Feds out-smart him.

------

Nick felt his stomach somersault, and he glanced up toward the clock. Two-thirty. "Any sign of him yet?" he asked of Culpepper.

"Nothing yet... but I'm sure he'll be dropping by again soon."

Nick paused, listening for the sound of Sara's ceiling fan... listening for Sara's breathing... but hearing nothing. "It's quiet, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's quiet, it's the middle of the night. What do you expect for the middle of the night?" Culpepper snipped, keeping an eye on the house through his infrared binoculars.

"No, but I mean... it's TOO quiet. You can't hear her ceiling fan or anything."

Culpepper shrugged this off. "It's cooling down now. Maybe she got cold and turned it off."

For some reason, that didn't ease Nick's anxiety one little bit. His stomach began to twist in knots. Something was wrong... something was very wrong. Trouble was, he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

-----

Satisfied in knowing that the clever Bureau of Investigation would be none-the-wiser to his presence, the figure crept upstairs... to the bedroom of his next 'damsel.' He'd seen her in the bookstore... and she was perfect. Just his type. He grabbed the curling iron sitting on the bathroom counter, yanking the cord from the electrical outlet. This one was gonna be the best one... he could feel it.

Stealthily creeping toward the open bedroom door, he paused, listening for signs of alertness from the girl. Upon hearing nothing but steady breathing, he crept inside. The creaky floorboard, however, gave him away... and as she gasped and sat up, his grip tightened on the cord, and he swung the curling iron straight at her head.

------------

TBC


	3. Saving Sara

  
  
DOUBLE DECOY

Chapter 3: Saving Sara

-------------------

"Culpepper, it's too quiet in there, it's WAY too quiet," Nick muttered... his rambling tone catching everyone's attention.

Culpepper shook his head, "Stokes, may I suggest that the next time you go on a stakeout, you take a dose of Valium?"

"I'm serious. I haven't heard one sound from Sara's place in the past ten minutes... and just... something doesn't feel right." He absent-mindedly grasped the shirt material over his stomach... his insides still twisting in knots. He shook his head and moved toward the back doors. "I gotta go in there."

"No!" Culpepper grabbed the back of his shirt as he threw the doors open. "You are to stay put! You're not going to compromise this mission, Stokes!"

But it was too late. Nick had ducked out of his grasp and was already jogging inside, his concern for Sara first and foremost on his mind.

------

Sara writhed under the figure that had her pinned to the bed, gasping and choking for air as the white cord of her curling iron was tightened around her throat. She thrashed her legs beneath him, attempting to throw him off of her, but he held strong. She opened her mouth wide to scream and gasped as she felt something being shoved into her mouth... some sort of towel. She screamed against it nonetheless, knowing that even the slightest sound of distress would alert Nick and Culpepper, and they'd be at her side to help her.

Although... a nagging voice in her head told her... wouldn't they have already heard the struggle? Her mind suddenly became consumed with where they could possibly be, and why nobody was rushing to save her. Her eyes widened as a glass was placed in her line of vision, and she knew what was coming next. The sodium amytal. As he removed the towel and forced her to down the awful-tasting liquid, her thoughts went to Nick.

She would never know. She would never know if he felt something for her beyond friendship... if their moment in the van had meant anything to him. She'd never know what they could've had... if they could've sustained a meaningful, serious relationship. He would never know, either. And as her eyes rolled back in her head, the last of the liquid sliding down her throat... her last thought was how he would never know that she loved him.

------

Nick slipped in through the back, wanting to curse aloud at the sight of the open window... but knowing he needed to get to Sara first. He could worry about tearing into Culpepper later. He fought desperately not to stumble... and upon glancing around at the pitch-black that surrounded him, he realized... someone had tripped the circuit. That son of a bitch had seen them bug the house, and he tripped the circuit.

His anger now escalated to its highest point, and Nick headed for the bedroom, cocking his gun as quietly as he could. When he stepped up to the open bedroom door, he froze... the sight in front of him leaving him momentarily stunned.

Sara was lying on her back in bed, unconscious, while a figure in dark clothing straddled her waist, pulling a cord tighter around her neck. This was what finally brought Nick back to reality, and he extended his gun, shooting the assailant not once, but five times, in the back... the angle and momentum of the shots sending the figure flying off the bed and onto the floor.

------

"Shit," Culpepper muttered upon hearing the gunshots. He gestured to a nearby radio, snapping at one of his men, "Call for backup!" before grabbing his gun and heading inside, several other agents falling in line behind him, their guns poised at the ready.

------

"Sara!" Nick leaped onto the bed, hurriedly pulling the cord away from her and tossing the curling iron aside. Upon catching sight of the purple bruises around her neck, his emotions took hold of him, and his eyes filled with tears. "Oh shit, Sara..." He reached for her, pulling her up, checking for signs of life. When she began choking up the sodium amytal all over his shirt, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God..."

He then helped her bend over, rubbing her back as she regurgitated the rest of the concoction. When she'd finished, he pulled her back and laid her against the bed, his stomach twisting in knots once more when he saw her eyes roll back in her head. As she battled with consciousness, her hand blindly shot out from her side. "Nick...?"

Though she wasn't completely aware of her surroundings, or what was going on, she sensed he was there. He exhaled in a mixture of a breath of relief and a nervous chuckle, reaching out to pull her into his embrace... holding her. "I'm right here, Peanut," he assured her, smoothing back her hair as his tears began to fall. "I'm right here."

His head snapped up as Culpepper and the rest of the Feds burst through the door, their guns extended and ready to shoot anything in their way. "Stokes!" he called. "We heard shots."

"Yeah... no thanks to your damn 'bugs'," he muttered. "The son of a bitch tripped the circuit and came in through an open window." He nodded toward the side of the bed near the window. "He's over there."

Culpepper bent over the lifeless body of their as-of-yet-unknown assailant, checking for a pulse before looking up at Nick. He gestured to the body. "Did you do this, Stokes?"

"Yeah," he glared, "And your incompetency did THIS." He nodded at Sara's limp form.

It was at that moment that they were joined by the rest of the CSI team, Brass and Warrick bursting in first with their guns extended... Catherine following close behind. "Nick..." she called, "You alright?"

"I'm not the one to be concerned about right now," he replied, and nodded toward Sara, who he was still holding in his arms.

"Oh God..." She rushed to his side, peering over his shoulder at Sara, moving a few errant chocolate strands out of the younger CSI's face. "Is she..."

"She's still alive," he assured her, "But we're gonna need an ambulance."

"Gotcha." She immediately pulled out her cell phone and called for paramedic assistance, before turning her attention back to Nick and Sara. "God, look at those bruises on her neck..." Her eyes went to the curling iron in the corner. "He must've pulled that thing pretty tight."

"Yeah... it's a miracle she's still alive." Nick took a deep breath, attempting to keep his emotions steady in the presence of his fellow team members. He glanced up, searching for the one team member he most looked up to, before turning his eyes up to Catherine.

"Grissom was suspended from the case," Catherine replied in answer to the unasked question in his eyes. "But I called him, he's on his way." Her voice softer, she asked, "Nicky, what happened?"

Their attention diverted as Sara stirred in his arms, again reaching out blindly. "Nick?"

He held her tighter, grabbing the hand she extended. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles... missing Catherine's incredulous stare as he whispered to her, "I'm here."

"Don't leave me," she begged groggily.

He shook his head, though he knew she was unaware he was doing it. "Never."

Catherine just watched this interaction with raised eyebrows, and laid a supportive hand on Nick's shoulder while keeping an eye on Sara. The rest of the team and the Feds began gathering evidence... everyone waiting with bated breath to hear those familiar sirens break the silence of the night.

----------------------

The entire team stood as a doctor emerged from Sara's trauma room, Nick being the first to leap to his feet. "So?" he asked anxiously.

"She sustained a lot of bruising around her neck, and we had to pump her stomach to get rid of the sodium amytal she'd ingested, but other than that, she's fine."

"Did you find any signs of sexual assault?" Grissom asked.

The doctor shook her head, which incited a collective sigh of relief from the CSIs. "No evidence of rape or sexual assault, no. Aside from the bruises around her neck, she's just fine."  
  
"Thank you, doctor," Catherine murmured, reaching out to squeeze Nick's shoulder supportively.

She nodded once in response, "You're welcome. She's awake right now, if you'd like to see her." She glanced at each of the guys. "She was asking for a Nick."

A half-smile twitched at the corners of the Texan's lips. "That's me," he replied, and cast a glance at the rest of the team.

When they nodded their understanding, he nodded back, and smiled a thank-you at the doctor before heading into Sara's room. As he stepped inside, he knocked lightly on the door. "Knock, knock..."

She smiled groggily from her bed, weakly lifting up a hand to wave at him... her eyes heavy-lidded. "Hey..."

He smiled and slowly made his way to her bed, drinking in her image... an image he didn't think he'd be able to see again. He fought back the urge to just drop to her bed and cry, and instead reached a hand out and touched her foot through the thermal blanket draped over her legs. "How are you feeling?" he asked, moving to sit in the chair at her bedside.

She smiled, and patted the space on the bed beside her, motioning for him to sit with her. "I'm a little tired," she murmured, her eyes following him as he gingerly sat at the edge of her bed. She reached up to her throat, patting it gently. "And my neck hurts."

He nodded slowly, his eyes wandering to her bruises. With a feather-light touch, he ran his fingertip across it. "Yeah..." he whispered. After a long moment of silence, he met her eyes... sensing her eyes on him. His sable eyes searched hers. When he saw her lips spread into a smile, he chuckled. "What?"

"You saved me," she whispered, "Didn't you?"

Another chuckle escaped his lips as her hand reached up to cup his face... and he covered it with his own, caressing her long, slim fingers. "I guess I did, yeah." He rolled his eyes. "Against Culpepper's wishes."

"Oh, really?"

He nodded. "If it had been up to him..." His voice broke with all his pent-up emotion... emotion from their encounter in the van... from almost losing her... and he tore his eyes from hers as they filled with tears, finishing his sentence in a defeated whisper. "You could've wound up dead."

"Nick..." she whispered, and stroked his face tenderly, attempting to gain his attention once more.

When he met her eyes again, a single tear fell from each eye... thus causing Sara's eyes to water. She choked back a sob, and reached her other arm out to him, squeezing his arm in a gesture for him to come closer. The hand still resting on his face wiped at his tears. "Nick..."

"Huh?"

She smiled tearfully at him. "Thank you."

He chuckled, and shook his head lightly as he blinked rapidly several times, trying to blink away his vulnerability. "You don't have to thank me, Sara, I'm just glad you're okay." He reached for her, gathering her into his arms, and held her tightly against his body, smiling when he felt her arms go tight around him in return.

She ran her hands through the short hair at the nape of his neck, her other hand rubbing his back. Her eyes slipped shut at the feel of him against her body. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Nick."

He smiled, and rubbed her back in return. "I was just lookin' out for ya, Sair. Anybody else woulda done the same."

"I don't just mean in that way," she murmured, pulling away, her hands finding his shoulders.

He searched her eyes. "In what way, then?"

She stared into his eyes for a long moment, searching them as he searched hers, before finally whispering, "In every way." She shook her head adamantly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Sara..." he whispered, brushing a few errant strands of hair out of her face.

"I mean it, Nick. This whole thing has really made me think. Nobody's ever cared for me the way you have. I think I--" She paused mid-sentence, mid-shrug... her mouth still open as she contemplated whether or not to finish.

"What?" he asked, brow furrowing.

She shook her head. "Nevermind." She moved away from him and scooted back, propping her pillows up behind her.

Nick watched as she fidgeted nervously with her hands, his forehead still wrinkled in utter confusion. "What? Sara, you can tell me."

She chuckled. "No, no I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because, it's..." She shrugged. "It's too abrupt. You and I haven't known each other all that long, and it would just be too... uhh... abrupt."

He chuckled. "Well abrupt or not, Sara, you know you can tell me anything." He shrugged. "I mean, I know we haven't known each other all that long, but I think... in the time we HAVE known each other, we've gotten pretty close." He smirked, his thoughts flitting to their moment in the van earlier that day. "Really close."

She grinned, reading what was on his mind, and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

He scooted closer to her, his hand cupping her cheek as he leaned in close, staring her straight in the eye. "Tell me, Sara," he whispered.

Her pulse quickened without her conscious consent, as she felt his breath hitting her lips. She exhaled shakily, fighting to hold onto her self-restraint. "I think I..."

He leaned a little closer, his eyes still boring into hers, sparkling with something new she couldn't quite put her finger on. "You what?" he whispered.

Her gaze focused on his lips as he drifted closer, and she nearly gasped at how quickly her heart jumped into her throat. "I..."

Before she could finish, his lips had closed over hers. He sucked her bottom lip between his, and this is what caused her to gasp.... her hands flying off the mattress and reaching up to hang onto his wrists while his hands enclosed her face. Their lips closed over the other's in an endless cycle... Sara's need for grasping Nick's bottom lip between her own battling with Nick's need to grasp Sara's bottom lip. They chuckled against each other's lips... both simultaneously realizing that their kisses were almost a reflection of their day-to-day relationship... sparring back and forth. Although, this was far better than trading flirts or insults.

When their need for oxygen finally became too great, they broke apart, their foreheads keeping the connection. Sara's eyes slipped shut, and she stroked Nick's arms as she breathlessly divulged her secret. "I think I might love you..."

"Good," he chuckled breathlessly, leaning up to kiss her forehead while his fingers tangled in her hair. He then pressed his forehead to hers once more and stared into her soft, sable eyes, his own sparkling mischievously as he smirked. "Then I just might love you back."

She giggled, tears filling her eyes once more, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders to hold him tight. She squinted her eyes shut as she tightened her arms around him, and a few tears slipped past her lids. She sniffled, her voice coming out in a shaky whimper. "Don't ever leave me, okay?"

This was what caused Nick to break, and he practically crushed her lithe form to his body, his tears finally spilling forth... a few drops staining her hospital gown. "Never, Peanut, never..." he assured her tearfully, rocking her back and forth. He kissed her hair, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I promise..."

---------------------------

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Warming Up

  
  
DOUBLE DECOY

Chapter 4: Warming Up  
Rating: This chapter would be an R.  
A/N: Thanks for waiting, guys. I'm really sorry this chapter took so long to get out. And, keep in mind that this is my first attempt at writing an N/S love scene, so there's no telling how good it'll be ;)

---------------------

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, Sara, but... you can't go home," Grissom solemnly informed her as she, Nick, and the team headed out to the Tahoes the next day.

She nodded. "I understand... it's still a crime scene."

"Do you have somewhere that you can stay?" Catherine asked. "Because if you need to, I have a spare bedr--"

"She can stay with me," Nick jumped in, surprising everyone but Sara... and Catherine.

A wry smile played across the strawberry blond's thick lips, and she eyed him in her peripheral vision. "Really, Nicky? She won't cramp your style?"

"Aw, no..." He waved the notion away with a dismissive stroke of his hand, trying desperately to cover his nervousness. "I mean..." He smirked. "I figure, Sara probably needs a big, strong guy around to protect her."

Without missing a beat, Sara chimed in with a dry smile of her own, "But since I don't know of any, Nick will have to do."

Catherine just continued to grin her Cheshire-cat grin at the two of them, nodding slowly. "Yes, well... I suppose we all better get home," she sighed.

"Hey, are you guys up for breakfast?" Warrick asked, glancing between his four colleagues. "It's been awhile since we've all gone out for breakfast."

Sara's hand reached his shoulder, rubbing it gently as she frowned sympathetically. "Warrick, I'm sorry, but I'm still really tired."

Nick nodded, drawling a remorseful, "Yeah, I think I'm just gonna bring her home, man. Sorry."

"Naw, s'alright." He glanced to the two senior CSIs. "Anybody else?"

Catherine smiled sheepishly as Grissom sighed, nodding his head toward her. "I promised Catherine I'd make her breakfast at my townhouse, and then we're taking Lindsey to the park when she gets home from school."

Nick grinned over at Warrick. "Looks like you'll be having that breakfast all by yourself, bro."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, picture that. See you guys."

The rest of the team uttered various goodbyes before separating... Grissom and Catherine wandering toward one of the three Tahoes, while Nick and Sara headed to another, and Warrick to his own.

---------------------

"I'm sorry you can't stop home to get some of your stuff," Nick apologized as he led her inside. "If it helps any, there's a new, un-opened toothbrush in the bathroom that you're welcome to use."

Sara grinned in response, stepping fully inside Nick's townhouse. "Yes, because that's what I was concerned about... plaque."

He glared facetiously at her, bursting into a grin seconds later upon seeing the bright smile on her face... and he chuckled. "How're you doin'?" he drawled quietly, studying her.

She shrugged. "I'm doing alright, I guess." She shook her head. "I just... keep thinking about that first moment I felt him in my room. The way that my heart jumped." Her voice broke with unshed emotion, tears filling her chocolate eyes. "I was so sure I was gonna die, Nick. I was so sure he was gonna kill me before I had a chance to tell you..."

"Sshh, shh..." He pulled her close, his strong arms securing her against the warmth of his body as he dusted her citrus-scented hair with kisses. "You're here... he didn't kill you." He pulled slightly away, attempting a reassuring smile as his eyes searched hers. "And you told me."

She nodded. "I know, but Nick--"

He stopped her voice with a kiss, his hands reaching up to enfold her face. She sucked in a deep breath through her nose, letting out a slightly audible noise of defiance before succumbing to the feel of his lips on hers... sinking against him. His right hand left her face and slowly began to snake around her waist while the other wandered up into her hair from the back of her neck... the kiss slowly deepening.

When he pulled her flush against him she gasped, and Nick stole the opportunity to glide his tongue past her open lips, tasting her. She whimpered into his mouth at this new sensation, the sound lost inside their kiss. Far too soon for Sara's liking however, he pulled away... both of them panting harshly against each other's lips. "Why did you stop?" she breathed.

"I just..." He slid his hands through her hair, his eyes focused on her lips, parted slightly and still looking quite inviting. "I thought it would be best if we--"

"I don't wanna stop," she whispered, her words nearly stopping his heart.

His serene, coffee-brown eyes searched hers. "Are you sure?"

"Really sure," she insisted. Her hands grasped his biceps, squeezing gently. "Nick, I love you."

"And I love you..."

She nodded vehemently, smiling brightly at him. "I know. And I wanna feel that. I wanna feel you loving me."

He slowly broke into a smile of his own... lovingly gazing at her. "If you're sure..."

"Nick!" she chuckled, grabbing his face. She stared straight into his eyes. "I'm completely sure. I wanna do this." Her voice dropped slightly in volume as she brushed her lips to his lightly, her eyes diving into his. "I want you to make love to me."

He let out his breath in a rush, his smile melting her heart. "Bedroom?" he asked quietly... almost meekly.

"Unless you want to do it right here in front of the big picture window? Yes."

Nick chuckled, then bent down to scoop her into his strong arms, carrying her to the bedroom. Once inside, he shut the door with one swift kick of his foot, smiling at his brown-haired beauty as he carried her over to the bed, gingerly laying her down.

She grinned brightly as she felt herself sink into the cloud of pillows scattered across the head of his king-sized bed, her hair fanning out beneath her. In a matter of moments, she found herself blanketed by Nick's strong body, hovering over her with just mere breaths between them. For what felt like an eternity, they just stared into each other's eyes, chestnut and chocolate duelling in a battle so intense, Sara began to shiver.

"Are you cold?" he asked, concern in his tone.

"A little," she sighed. A mischievous glint twinkled in her eye as she reached up, balling his shirt in her fist. "Why don't you warm me up?" and she pulled his lips to hers.

The kiss was aggressive... fierce to begin with... the ten-months worth of pent up sexual tension and passion fuelling the motion of their lips. Slowly, the kiss morphed into something more than desire... more than lust. Their lips softened, and Nick's hands slowly enfolded Sara's face, inciting a sigh from her.

Their hands tentatively moved to caress and fondle, neither wanting to rush their first time together. As Sara's fingers began working the buttons on Nick's jacket, he began moving her shirt up her body, inch-by-inch. Feather-light kisses made their way across her tummy, then up the center of her body... following the trail of skin the shirt left behind. When it had reached her collarbone, Nick painfully removed his lips from her to pull the shirt over her head, smiling into her eyes as he tossed it over his shoulder... leaning down again to kiss her.

His lips pressed against hers, firm but gentle, as his hands caressed her sides... gliding over the fabric of her bra. When his thumbs grazed the underside of her breasts through the thin material, she moaned, and arched her back as an invitation for him to remove the confining article... which he did. His tongue began to taste her, delighting in the sweet scent and salty taste of her body... and Nick found himself craving that combination as he traveled lower. Light kisses dusted her abdomen, his tongue tasting the sides of her navel while his hands rubbed across the waistline of her pants... and when she raised her hips off the bed in anticipation, he chuckled. "Easy there," he teased. "We've got all night."

"Nick, I need you," she whispered frantically, and when he glanced to meet the look in her eyes, his last thread of self-control snapped.

His fingers made quick work of the button and zipper on her jeans, pulling them down her legs... his fingertips caressing her hairless lengths as he went. After briefly watching the jeans land on his dresser, knocking over a few bottles of cologne, he chuckled, then turned his attention back to Sara, slithering up her body as his lips ached for hers.

She moaned into his insistent, fiery kiss, and hurriedly shoved at his jacket, pushing it down his arms and letting it fall to the floor before her hands reached for the hem of his tight tee-shirt. She broke the kiss reluctantly in order to remove the article of clothing that separated her from his bare skin, then... once the article had been tossed aside... she pulled his lips back to hers, fingertips roaming his smooth, muscular chest and finely sculpted abdomen.

He moaned against her lips as her hands set fire to his skin, and he reached between her legs, rubbing her through her panties. When she bucked against his hand and broke the kiss to groan, he smiled. "God, Nick," she panted, and he took the hint.

The pink lace slid down her legs gingerly while his eyes held hers, and when she felt his finger against her, her eyes snapped shut... head lolling back against the pillows. "Nick..."

He touched her tentatively, feeling her arousal, testing her reactions... growing more and more aroused at the sound of her groans. When she sat up, he moved away slightly, alarmed... until she grinned at him. "Sorry," she panted. "I just need you so incredibly bad right now, and you still have way too many clothes on."

He chuckled, helping her to unbuckle and unzip his pants, pushing them to the floor. He stood, winking at her as he drawled, "Then how about we even things up?" before dropping his boxers to his ankles.

When he saw her lips part in an expression of shock, eyebrows venturing up toward her hairline, he smirked. "What?"

She closed her mouth, shaking her head as she tore her eyes away from him. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly, cheeks tinging pink. She met his eyes. "It's just..." Her chocolate irises floated briefly once more between his legs before glancing back up at him, grinning. "My wildest dreams never did you justice."

He raised his eyebrows. "Wow," he chuckled, crawling into bed beside her, coaxing her to lie back against the pillows. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should." She grinned devilishly and winked, tripping her fingers down his body. "Just don't let it go to your head."

When her fingers wrapped around his arousal, he groaned, burying his face in her hair as his hands caressed her body. "Sara..."

She planted kisses from his neck to his shoulder, eyes slipping shut as she murmured. "Make love to me, Nick."

Without further hesitation, he positioned himself between her parting legs and stared deep into her eyes, sliding into her fully.... moaning when he saw her eyes darken in response. She pulled him close, and they began to move together, a feeling of unity surrounding both.

He placed gentle kisses to her neck, running his fingertip lightly against the bruise encircling her throat... choking back a sob at the sight. When she sensed this, she pulled away slightly to gaze into his eyes... fingers threading through his short-cropped hair. "Hey," she whispered, gasping a bit as he hit a sensitive spot inside her. "I'm okay," she reminded him.

Nick nodded, burying his face in her neck and wrapping his arms tight around her lithe form... ensuring that she'd never slip away from him. She rubbed comforting circles into his back, soothing his anxiety... calming the thoughts of almost losing her... and his movements began to gain speed. Her moans encouraged him, and he reached down to grasp her hips, biting down on his lip. "Sara, I'm close..." he warned her.

She held the back of his neck, her free hand roaming down his sweat-soaked back as she nodded, managing to get out, "Me too."

It wasn't long before the lovers reached the precipice and crashed over it, calling each other's names before collapsing against the sheets... bodies entwined, lust and urges temporarily sated. "Nick..." Sara panted, winding her hands through his short hair, pulling his head off her chest to stare into his eyes. She searched the sable depths with her own. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he smiled, breathless. "I'm more than okay."

She regarded him seriously, melting into a smile when his thumbs began caressing the worry lines out of her forehead. "Sorry, you just seemed a little... emotional... for a moment, there."

He nodded, closing his eyes briefly. "I know. I saw your bruise, and I just..." He shook his head as he found himself unable to finish, a single tear escaping the only evidence of his vulnerability.

"Hey, hey..." she whispered, lips slipping into a sympathetic pout as she reached up to wipe away the tear. "You know I'm okay. You know I'm right here with you."

He nodded, his body sighing as he pulled out of her, dropping to his side... his hand propping his head up. "I know you're okay, Sair," he whispered, taking a moment to swallow as tears choked him up. He blinked them back. "But you almost weren't. You almost weren't because of that asshole Culpepper."

She smiled. "Well, just rest assured that Grissom's probably tearing him a new one as we speak."

He chuckled. "Well, if Grissom's not, Catherine sure as hell is. You should've seen the look she gave him when she came in and saw you."

She smiled ruefully, rolling her eyes. "I can imagine." After a moment of staring into his eyes, she sighed. "Don't think about what could have happened, Nick. Just know that you saved my life by coming in when you did. Just know that I'm okay. That I'm here...." She cupped his face, smiling lovingly into his soft, sable hues. "And that I love you."

His grin brightened the entire house. "I love you too," he murmured, and leaned down to kiss her. When he pulled away, he sighed, mock-serious as he told her, "Just to warn you, I won't be letting you out of my sight ever again."

She smirked. "What happens when I have to go to the bathroom?"

He gave her a look, and she giggled. "I know, I know!" she laughed. "I don't want you to let me out of your sight, either. So... you promise?"

He grinned. "Cross my heart, Peanut."

She giggled. "Good. Now, to get to the more pressing issue at hand..." She reached down and toyed with him through the sheet, arching an eyebrow. "We're not done, are we?"

He mirrored her raised-eyebrow expression, smirking coyly as he drawled, "Are you kiddin'? We're just warming up!"

--------------  
TBC


	5. Celebrated Returns

  
  
DOUBLE DECOY

Epilogue: Celebrated Returns  
Rating: PG  
A/N: Thanks again, guys, for taking the time to read (and wait for the rest of) this fic! It really means a lot to me.

---------------------

"She's back!" Warrick called, wearing a grin as he eyed the brunette from his spot at the breakroom table.

Sara smiled, tossing a wave at the co-workers gathered in the breakroom... Catherine perched on the couch with a magazine in her lap while Warrick and Greg played cards at the table. Each stood up in turn to give her a hug, welcoming her back to work after her brief leave of absence following the accident. She accepted the hugs warmly... even from Catherine, who, at times had posed a threat in her eyes when she'd had feelings for Grissom. Now that she was head over heels in love with Nick, however, she was happy that the senior CSIs shared such a special companionship... and she hugged Catherine tight for a moment before releasing her, a Texan accent drawing her attention back to the doorway. "Aw, so they all get love and not me?"

Sara raised her eyebrow at him. "Should we bring up the kind of love you received this morning?" she teased, giggling upon hearing the exclamations of mock disgust and surprise from her co-workers.

The commotion faded as Grissom made his way into the room, smiling a greeting at Nick before his eyes settled on Sara, and, in a rare display, he reached out for a hug, murmuring, "Good to have you back," into her hair.

She smiled brightly when he pulled away, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, beginning to grow wary of everyone's eyes still on her. She turned to Nick, exchanging with him a glance, and he smiled knowingly, stepping fully into the room and placing a hand on her waist, kissing her hair. "Alright you guys," he drawled, "Enough with all the attention. Sara gets a little nervous in the spotlight."

She glared facetiously. "Thank you, Nick."

"Well," Catherine sighed, "Looks like we've got some celebrating to do!"

"Yeah," Warrick chimed in. "Gris is finally back to work after his suspension, and Sara's back from leave."

A Cheshire grin peeked out on the strawberry-blonde's plump lips, and she nodded toward Sara and Nick's clasped hands. "I was talking about the rock on her finger."

Surprised exclamations leaped out of Warrick and Greg, who both stood to take in the sight of a diamond ring on Sara's finger... while Grissom and Catherine shared a look and a smile. With a twinkle in the supervisor's eye, he turned to smile at the couple. "So you guys have been busy the past week, huh?"

Nick grinned. "You could say that." He held up a hand as everyone opened their mouths to begin the barrage of questioning, and Sara smiled at this. "Okay, just to answer all the questions in one shot..." He turned to Catherine, smirking. "Yes, we're engaged..." He turned to Warrick and Greg. "No, she's not pregnant..." And he finally turned to Grissom. "And yes, I'll take good care of her."

Grissom grinned. "You know us too well, Nicky."

Catherine clapped her hands together, gesturing to the door. "Well! Now that shift's technically over for the rest of the morning and afternoon, what say we head out and do some celebrating? Breakfast! Grissom's treat!" She threw him a wicked grin.

He glared facetiously, though a smirk burst forth in a matter of moments. "Thanks, Cath."

"Sounds good to us," Sara agreed with a smile, the rest of the gang joining in.

With that, the team headed out for breakfast, Nick placing a gentle kiss to Sara's ring before they shared a smile, turning off the lights in the breakroom as they went.

---------------

FINIS

Totally corny ending, but... ah well! I had fun writing it, and I hope you had fun reading it!!


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